Whenever I receive new skincare products I always do research into what ingrediants are in it, how would they affect my skin type, and how best to incorporate into my skincare routine.
How often should I wash my face?
How often you should wash your face is dependent on what kind of skin type you are. Oily or combination skin types should wash their faces twice a day, and dry skin types should wash their face once a day. You don't want to wash it anymore than that unless absolutely necessary so you don't strip your skin of sebum which is the oil secreted by the sebaceous glands in your pores that keeps your hair, and skin moisturised.
How do I know if I'm overwashing my face?
“Many cleansers—especially acne cleansers—are filled with harsh detergents called sulfates, which are the same thing you’d find in your dish soap. These washes destroy your skin barrier by stripping away all its moisture, causing inflammation, redness, and a worsening of breakouts and oiliness.”” said dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, associate clinical professor at Yale.
How to pick the right cleanser
According to dermatologist Deny Endelman, a good cleanser is one that "mimics the skin’s naturally acidic pH (5.5), it will be more gentle on your skin’s acid mantle (the protective, slightly acidic layer made up of natural oils, dead skin cells and sweat). The acid mantle is what maintains skin health and staves off bacterial infections".
I have combination skin so I have an oilier T-Zone, and not dry, but drier skin elsewhere on my face. I start with a gentle face wash cleanser like the Laura Mercier Balancing Foam Cleanser. It forms a creamy foam that effectively removes pollutents in your pores without stripping away your sebum which leaves you with glowing, clear skin witnout the dryness of some other cleansers.
How to pick the right toner
The point of toner is to balance the pH levels of your skin, and reduce the size of your pores which will mean less pollutents can penetrate. If your cleanser already mimics the pH levels of your skin you may not need to use toner. But if you do need a toner such as if you like using one, a good toner will hydrate your skin with antioxidents, restore the natural pH levels, reduce the occurences of ingrown hairs due to alpha hydroxy acids, blackheads, and fine lines, and wrinkles!
What to look for in a face moisturiser
Skincare brands have a lot of big claims so it's best to look at the ingrediants list on the back with close attention to the top 5 ingrediants. According to the Skincare Edit, the top 5 ingrediants usually account for 80% of the container with all ingrediants listed in hgihest concentration to lowest. Avoid moisturisers, and skincare products that contain fragences as they are the most common allergen that causes skin irritations, and allergy flareups related to use of personal beauty products.
Look for moisturisers that:
Contain saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids like cocoa butter as they help fight off free radicals
Don't contain silicone as it traps oil, and pollutents under the skin which slows the skin renewal process
Contain an occlusive which is an ingredient that forms a surface barrier to prevent loss of moisture like shea butter
Contain an emollient which is an ingredient like jojoba oil that softens, and hydrates your skin
Contain an humectant like hyaluronic acid as it draws water from the environment onto the skin
What to look for in an eye cream
According to dermatologists you should be looking for eye creams that are gentle on your skin, and contain retinol, hyaluronic acid, neuropeptides, alpha lipoic acid, PPC, and green tea or caffeine.
Retinol is a form of vitamin A which helps fight the signs of ageing by stimulating new cell regeneration for younger appearing skin. Neuropeptides are a great swap for those who can't use retinol based products. Hyaluronic acid reduces redness, and plumps up the area under the eye which declines in our naturally produced hyalyronic acid as we age. Alpha lipoic acid is 400% more powerful than vitamin C and E, and is an antiinflammatory. Polyenylphosphotidyl Choline (PPC) is a natural moisturiser that replenishes dry skin. And green tea contains vitamin B2, vitamin E that are critical for skin health.
The products shown in this post has been gifted by Laura Mercier to celebrate the launch of their new Skin Essentials Collections. Products shown: